Home Office

Home Office: Pay

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil servants in her Department are paid through limited companies.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office have no civil servants employed that are paid through limited companies.

Undocumented Workers

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employers received (a) one, (b) between two and four and (c) more than five fixed penalty fines for illegally employing immigrants in each of the last seven years.

James Brokenshire: The information provided refers to civil penalties for illegal working served to employers and is included in the table below.Civil penalties for illegal working issued to employers  Employers issued 1 penalty in yearEmployers issued 2 - 4 penalties in year Employers issued 5+ penalties in yearTOTAL penalties issued (matches certified data) 2009/102167172023392010/111788111018992011/12129150013412012/13123040012702013/14204698521492014/151847122519742015/162328220462594  The data provided is for initial penalties only and penalties may have been reduced or cancelled at the objection or appeal stage.N.B The data provided is sourced from a Home Office management information system which is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Asylum

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers who were granted refugee status were not provided with a (a) biometric residence permit and (b) National Insurance number by her Department before their 28-day asylum support ceased in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: If an asylum seeker is granted refugee status written confirmation that there are no longer any restrictions on them living and working in the UK is posted to them. A Biometric Residence Permit and National Insurance number is also sent, which can then be used as evidence of their immigration status and in support of any application for benefits.Statistics on the number of such cases are not recorded on centrally collated statistical databases and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.

Asylum: Children

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied child refugees have been reunited with relatives in the UK since the announcement, Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to be resettled from Europe, on 4 May 2016.

James Brokenshire: As announced by the Prime Minister on 4 May and now reflected in the Immigration Act 2016, we will work to admit unaccompanied refugee children to the UK from elsewhere in the EU, where this is considered to be in the child's best interests.As the legislation sets out, we need to consult with local authorities first and we are also working closely with NGOs, the UNHCR, UNICEF and relevant Member States to establish suitable processes to implement this initiative.Ministers and senior officials are in ongoing discussions with Greece, Italy and France to identify and transfer to the UK unaccompanied refugee children where it is in their best interests. We are also consulting local authorities, non-governmental organisations and UNHCR. In addition, we have worked with France to improve the operation of the Dublin family reunification process, and accepted over 30 transfer requests between January and the end of April with many more cases in train.We are committed to act as quickly as we can but we must take the necessary time to ensure we have the capacity to support those who are resettled. We must also ensure that we are able to continue to fulfil our obligations to children who are already in the UK.

Detainees: Children

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children in England have been detained in immigration removal centres in each year since 2015; how many of those children so detained have been deported; and how many children are still in detention.

James Brokenshire: In 2015, 133 children left detention, of which: 50 were removed, 81 were granted temporary admission or release and 2 for other reasons. As at 31 December there were no children held in detention.The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK within Immigration Statistics. Information on those leaving detention is available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: January to March 2016, table dt_09 from GOV.UK on the statistics web pages at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.

Attorney General

Gurpal Virdi

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Attorney General, how and why the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) joined the Metropolitan Police in announcing that retired police sergeant Gurpal Virdi was charged with misconduct in public office and with indecent assault on a person under 16 years; what publicity the CPS recorded as resulting at the time; when the memorandum of a conviction proved 1 April 1987 for offences on 7 November 1986 of a defendant born on 5 September 1970 with informant or complainant recorded as PC Markwick came to the attention of the CPS; what steps were taken to put right the effect of the wrong statement; when those steps were taken; and what the results of those steps were.

Jeremy Wright: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 14 June 2016.The correct answer should have been:

A press release was issued by the Metropolitan Police Service which stated that the complainant was under 16. The CPS was not a party to this release and did not issue any other release. The CPS does not retain records of publicity resulting at the time. When the case was reviewed in 2014 for charging, the complainant and the witness clearly stated that the complainant had been 15 when the incident took place in 1986. In addition Mr Virdi also said in interview that the complainant had been 15 at the time of the incident. The police summary stated that the complainant was 15. However the complainant’s date of birth and the date of his arrest were known and this mistake should not have been made. The CPS was supplied with the memorandum of conviction referred to on 17 September 2014.The indictment was formally amended thereafter. No steps were taken to publicise the fact that the charge was later amended in open court to remove the assertion that the complainant was under 16.

Jeremy Wright: A press release was issued by the Metropolitan Police Service which stated that the complainant was under 16. The CPS was not a party to this release and did not issue any other release. The CPS does not retain records of publicity resulting at the time. When the case was reviewed in 2014 for charging, the complainant and the witness clearly stated that the complainant had been 15 when the incident took place in 1986. In addition Mr Virdi also said in interview that the complainant had been 15 at the time of the incident. The police summary stated that the complainant was 15. However the complainant’s date of birth and the date of his arrest were known and this mistake should not have been made. The CPS was supplied with the memorandum of conviction referred to on 17 September 2014.The indictment was formally amended thereafter. No steps were taken to publicise the fact that the charge was later amended in open court to remove the assertion that the complainant was under 16.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Internet

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of counterfeit electrical goods being sold online in order better to protect consumers; and whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to help reduce that number.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government takes the issue of IP infringement seriously, including in relation to counterfeit electrical goods, and is working with industry and law enforcement agencies on a number of initiatives to tackle this issue. The Police IP Crime Unit was launched in September 2013 and has had significant impact having arrested over 60 people and suspended over 5,000 internet domain names. In 2014/15 Border Force detained over 1.6 million IP infringing items. If genuine the retail value of these items would have been in excess of £56 million. Ongoing enforcement initiatives include Operation Jasper, which is tackling the use of social media to sell counterfeit items, and work by National Trading Standards and the IPO Intelligence Hub to deal with the risks posed by ‘fulfilment houses’ that supply many items purchased online. The Government keeps the regulatory framework under review but believes the existing legislative framework enables the appropriate action to be taken against suppliers of counterfeit goods.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Electronic Equipment

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of counterfeit electrical goods that were sold in the UK in each of the last three years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government does not hold data estimating the number of counterfeit electrical goods that were sold in the UK during the last 3 years.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Electronic Equipment

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to prevent counterfeit electrical goods being sold in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) works closely with law enforcement, government and industry partners such as the Police IP Crime Unit, Trading Standards and Border Force to prevent counterfeit electrical goods from being sold in the UK. In 2014-15, Border Force detained over 1.6 million IP infringing items in total. Industry initiatives such as the Real Deal have also reduced the availability of counterfeit electrical goods at local markets. In February 2015 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pledged an extra £400,000 to help trading standards officers prevent dangerous goods, many of which are counterfeit, being sold in the UK, and this includes £182,000 for its ports and borders project which is improving surveillance at Southampton and Felixstowe ports. This has resulted in 487,000 products being intercepted at the border and a further 1,100,575 non-compliant products identified and addressed. Ongoing joint enforcement initiatives also include Operation Jasper, which is tackling the use of social media to sell counterfeit goods, and work by National Trading Standards and the IPO Intelligence Hub to deal with the risks posed by ‘fulfilment houses’ that supply many items purchased online.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Electronic Equipment

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many fines were issued for the sale of counterfeit electrical products in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government does not hold data on the number of fines that have been issued for offences related to the sale of counterfeit items. The IP Crime Report does contain data on the number of cautions and convictions for IP offences in England and Wales from 2002 – 2014. According to Ministry Of Justice data, during 2014 456 people were found guilty of offences under the Trade Mark Act and 61 under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Electronic Equipment

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what penalties there are for selling counterfeit electrical products.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Sale of counterfeit items may be prosecuted under trade mark and/or design legislation. These offences can be heard in the Magistrates or the Crown Court. The maximum sentence in the Magistrates is 6 months imprisonment and/or a £5,000 fine. The maximum sentence in the Crown Court is 10 years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Internet

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the growing use of online shopping on the incidence of sales of counterfeit electrical products.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government has no plans to make an assessment of the effect of the growing use of online shopping on the incidence of sales of counterfeit electrical products. However, we have commissioned research into the sale of counterfeits through online platforms such as social media websites. The IP Crime Group which is comprised of representatives from private sector, law enforcement agencies and government departments publishes an annual report into IP crime in the UK. The Crime Report contains a survey of Trading Standards departments and they report that in 2014/15 electrical items were the seventh most investigated product. The survey also reports that websites and online auction sites are two of the locations most investigated for counterfeit goods in 2014/15. IP Crime Report - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-ip-crime-report-2014-to-2015